A Way with Wordshttp://www.waywordradio.org
A lively radio program about words and language, broadcast on many NPR stations and heard by podcast around the world. It's more than grammar!Mon, 02 Mar 2015 04:48:55 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Subscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with PageflakesFor the full content, vist our web site, http://www.waywordradio.org.Blind Tigerhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/awww-articles/~3/w2rZ4pwzADA/
http://www.waywordradio.org/blind-tiger/#commentsSat, 28 Feb 2015 04:45:07 +0000http://www.waywordradio.org/?p=27495When you pick up a book of poems, how many do you read in one sitting? Some people devour several in a row, while others savor them much more slowly. Plus, it’s a problem faced by politicians and public speakers: When you have to stand in front of people, what do you do with your hands? German Chancellor Angela Merkel came up with a solution. She positions her fingers in a special way that’s become so closely associated with her, it now has its own name. And what does it mean if someone says you’re “a real pipperoo”? Plus, orange grove vs. orange orchard, Pilish, ducksnorts and duckfarts, and the worst online passwords imaginable.

Pi DayOn March 14, or 3/14, fans of both dessert and decimals come together to celebrate Pi Day. This year, though, it’s not enough to call it at 3/14, because it’s 3/14/15, and at 9:26 and 53 seconds, the first ten digits of pi will all be aligned. Speaking of aligning the digits, there’s also a form of writing called pilish, where the sequential words in a passage each have an amount of letters that corresponds with the numbers in pi.

PipperooA swinging song by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra called “I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo” drops the line “What a gal, a real pipperoo.” A homeschooling family in Maine wonders just what a pipperoo is. For one, the suffix -eroo is a jokey ending sometimes added for comic effect, as with switcheroo and flopperoo. Pipperoo may derive from a particularly desirable type of apple called a pippin. And the jokey suffix -eroo is added for comic effect, as with switcheroo and flopperoo. So calling someone a pipperoo is fond way of saying, in effect, you’re a peach.

East Tennessee FireIn East Tennessee, if someone invites you to a “fire,” don’t be alarmed—there’s a chance they’re talking about a fair. A former Floridian who moved to that part of the country has been collecting some funny stories about local pronunciations.

The Merkel-RauteEven foreign dignitaries can be plagued with the age-old problem of standing around in public: what do you do with your hands? German Chancellor Angela Merkel has taken to holding her hands in a certain way so often that it’s been named the Merkel-Raute, or Merkel rhombus, which pretty accurately describes the shape she’s making.

Commonalities QuizQuiz Guy John Chaneski has a game where you have to guess what three clues—like Bob, Tom, and Allie or bulb, silver, and month—have in common.

DucksnortA ducksnort in softball or baseball will never make the highlight reel. It’s often a blooper of a hit that lands between the infield and the far outfield, but still gets the job done. Paul Dickson, author of the authoritative Dickson Baseball Dictionary, explains the original version of the term: duckfart. White Sox announcer Hawk Harrelson is credited with popularizing the more family-friendly version.

Blind Tiger SpeakeasyThe Blind Tiger was a speakeasy during prohibition, perhaps so named because patrons would hand over money to peek at a fictitious blind animal, but also receive illegal booze as part of the bargain. The terms blind tiger and blind pig eventually came to describe a kind of liquor—one so powerful it could make you go blind, at least for a while. A Tallahassee, Florida, caller says one of his ancestors was gunned down by a gang called the Blind Tigers.

Retcon PhenomenonRetcon, short for retroactive continuity, is the phenomenon commonly used in video games, comic books, and soap operas where something from a past plotline is changed in order for what’s happening in the present to make sense. Also along those lines is a ret canon, used to blow up a problem from the past.

Origin of Steppin’ and Fetchin’A Spotswood, Virginia, listener came across the phrase “steppin’ and fetchin'” used in a positive way to describe a speedy race run by the great horse Secretariat. But the phrase has an ugly past. To step and fetch is how many people once described the job of a slave or handyman, and Stepin Fetchit was a famous actor who often played the stereotype of the lazy black man. The documentary Ethnic Notions covers some of the history of this racially charged imagery.

CarpaccioA new book called Ciao, Carpaccio!: An Infatuation, by veteran travel writer Jan Morris, celebrates the Venetian artist Carpaccio, who often used swaths of bright red in his paintings. His color choice is said to be the inspiration for beef or tuna carpaccio, slices of which are similarly deep red in the middle.

Orchard vs. GroveWhat’s the difference between an orchard and a grove? People plant orchards with trees meant to bear fruit or nuts, whereas groves aren’t necessarily planted. So an orange grove might be more accurately called an orange orchard. The problem is, orange orchard doesn’t sound nearly as pleasant as orange grove.

ShrilkShrilk, a new substance made out of shrimp shells and silk, is gaining popularity as a substitute for plastic. We can still pretty much guarantee that, “One word: shrilk,” will never be a classic movie line.

All-Done Clappy HandsWe all know that gesture people do, sometimes ironically, where you wipe or smack your hands together to signify that a job’s done. There’s no common term for it, but a Schenectady, New York, listener has a great suggestion: all-done clappy hands.

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George and Ira Gershwin Song Book

Verve

]]>http://www.waywordradio.org/blind-tiger/feed/0http://www.waywordradio.org/blind-tiger/All-Done Clappy Handshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/awww-articles/~3/BWJt6sXp4fU/
http://www.waywordradio.org/all-done-clappy-hands/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 16:51:47 +0000http://www.waywordradio.org/all-done-clappy-hands/We all know that gesture people do, sometimes ironically, where you wipe or smack your hands together to signify that a job’s done. There’s no common term for it, but a Schenectady, New York, listener has a great suggestion: all-done clappy hands. This is part of a complete episode.

]]>http://www.waywordradio.org/all-done-clappy-hands/feed/0http://www.waywordradio.org/all-done-clappy-hands/Shrilkhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/awww-articles/~3/Bd7KilCT2Vw/
http://www.waywordradio.org/shrilk/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 16:51:47 +0000http://www.waywordradio.org/shrilk/Shrilk, a new substance made out of shrimp shells and silk, is gaining popularity as a substitute for plastic. We can still pretty much guarantee that, “One word: shrilk,” will never be a classic movie line. This is part of a complete episode.

]]>http://www.waywordradio.org/shrilk/feed/0http://www.waywordradio.org/shrilk/Orchard vs. Grovehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/awww-articles/~3/xYxtxxhARiM/
http://www.waywordradio.org/orchard-vs-grove/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 16:51:47 +0000http://www.waywordradio.org/orchard-vs-grove/What’s the difference between an orchard and a grove? People plant orchards with trees meant to bear fruit or nuts, whereas groves aren’t necessarily planted. So an orange grove might be more accurately called an orange orchard. The problem is, orange orchard doesn’t sound nearly as pleasant as orange grove. This is part of a complete episode.

]]>http://www.waywordradio.org/orchard-vs-grove/feed/0http://www.waywordradio.org/orchard-vs-grove/Carpacciohttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/awww-articles/~3/npSYou_leDE/
http://www.waywordradio.org/carpaccio/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 16:51:47 +0000http://www.waywordradio.org/carpaccio/A new book called Ciao, Carpaccio!: An Infatuation, by veteran travel writer Jan Morris, celebrates the Venetian artist Carpaccio, who often used swaths of bright red in his paintings. His color choice is said to be the inspiration for beef or tuna carpaccio, slices of which are similarly deep red in the middle. This is part of a complete episode.

]]>http://www.waywordradio.org/carpaccio/feed/0http://www.waywordradio.org/carpaccio/Origin of Steppin’ and Fetchin’http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/awww-articles/~3/DxfCKGtBbRE/
http://www.waywordradio.org/origin-of-steppin-and-fetchin/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 16:51:47 +0000http://www.waywordradio.org/origin-of-steppin-and-fetchin/A Spotswood, Virginia, listener came across the phrase “steppin’ and fetchin'” used in a positive way to describe a speedy race run by the great horse Secretariat. But the phrase has an ugly past. To step and fetch is how many people once described the job of a slave or handyman, and Stepin Fetchit was a famous actor who often played the stereotype of the lazy black man. The documentary Ethnic Notions covers some of the history of this racially charged imagery. This is part of a complete episode.

]]>http://www.waywordradio.org/origin-of-steppin-and-fetchin/feed/0http://www.waywordradio.org/origin-of-steppin-and-fetchin/Reading Poems in Successionhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/awww-articles/~3/YWXih4Usk0g/
http://www.waywordradio.org/reading-poems-in-succession/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 16:51:47 +0000http://www.waywordradio.org/reading-poems-in-succession/Glyn Maxwell, in a recent review of the book Ideas of Order: A Close Reading of Shakespeare’s Sonnets, argues that reading the sonnets altogether in a collection is a little strange, since many of them are worth more attention than they’ll get if you read through them all quickly. Grant explains a similar problem he’s had with poetry, but in going back to Langston Hughes’ poems, he finds that trying not to focus on the rhyme or rhythm allows him to more fully understand the meaning of the words. This is part of a complete episode.

]]>http://www.waywordradio.org/reading-poems-in-succession/feed/0http://www.waywordradio.org/reading-poems-in-succession/Retcon Phenomenonhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/awww-articles/~3/7hQLuP-eRRE/
http://www.waywordradio.org/retcon-phenomenon/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 16:51:47 +0000http://www.waywordradio.org/retcon/Retcon, short for retroactive continuity, is the phenomenon commonly used in video games, comic books, and soap operas where something from a past plotline is changed in order for what’s happening in the present to make sense. Also along those lines is a ret canon, used to blow up a problem from the past. This is part of a complete episode.

]]>http://www.waywordradio.org/retcon-phenomenon/feed/0http://www.waywordradio.org/retcon-phenomenon/Goose Walking Over a Gravehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/awww-articles/~3/N-cO9eZpolc/
http://www.waywordradio.org/goose-walking-over-a-grave/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 16:51:47 +0000http://www.waywordradio.org/goose-walking-over-a-grave/A Wisconsin listener says that when her body gets an involuntary, inexplicable shudder, she says “A goose walked over my grave.” An early version of the saying, “There’s somebody walking over my grave!” appears in a 1738 book by Jonathan Swift, A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation, in Three Dialogues. The phrase is generally used to describe an eerie premonition, though “A goose walked over our grave” may be used at that moment when a conversation falls silent. This is part of a complete episode.

]]>http://www.waywordradio.org/goose-walking-over-a-grave/feed/0http://www.waywordradio.org/goose-walking-over-a-grave/Blind Tiger Speakeasyhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/awww-articles/~3/fjEWfN-3th8/
http://www.waywordradio.org/blind-tiger-speakeasy/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 16:51:47 +0000http://www.waywordradio.org/blind-tiger-speakeasy/The Blind Tiger was a speakeasy during prohibition, perhaps so named because patrons would hand over money to peek at a fictitious blind animal, but also receive illegal booze as part of the bargain. The terms blind tiger and blind pig eventually came to describe a kind of liquor—one so powerful it could make you go blind, at least for a while. A Tallahassee, Florida, caller says one of his ancestors was gunned down by a gang called the Blind Tigers. This is part of a complete episode.